Infinigate, a recognised authority in the ICT industry, has recently issued foresights for channel trends in 2024. These predictions explore the continuous impact of cybersecurity within various sectors, the proliferation of generative AI, the evolving role of resellers, promising opportunities for Managed Service Providers (MSPs), and the imperative for skilled experts within the ever-evolving digital landscape.
One key forecast is centred on the forthcoming deadline for NIS2/Cybersecurity Regulatory Act (CRA) compliance in 2024. Patrick Scholl, Head of OT, Infinigate Group, warns, "Channel partners able to advise customers on NIS2 will reap the rewards...Partners can offer expert advice and services to help organisations achieve compliance, working closely with CISOs and their teams to strengthen their cybersecurity posture to better understand organisational risk."
Moreover, Infinigate anticipates that generative AI will be an influential driver of change across diverse sectors, presenting growth opportunities, as well as new challenges. Jamie Little, Infinigate's Pre-Sales Manager (Cyber Security), stresses the importance of the channel adapting to this shift, stating, "Without this expertise, the channel will be unable to help organisations adopt it and miss out on a unique growth opportunity."
Furthermore, resellers of ICT solutions and services will need to find ways to differentiate themselves. Gordon Lyon, Sales Director, Infinigate UK, points out, "As demand for IT as a Service (ITaaS) increases, resellers have an opportunity to differentiate and add value to their offering, through expert consultancy and service optimisation to suit their target customers."
Infinigate also predicts that MSPs will have considerable opportunities within the SMB segment, particularly as more businesses adopt and manage advanced cloud solutions. Michael Frisby, senior vice president cloud services at nfinigate Group reckons that offering comprehensive monitoring and management of clients' security posture presents business potential for MSPs.
Klaus Schlichtherle, chief executive officer at Infinigate Group, anticipates that the ever-increasing complexity of IT and an escalating scale of cyber threats will create a flourishing market for cybersecurity solutions and services. "While this presents an opportunity for the channel to grow its business, driving more vendors and partners to diversify their offering to tap into these opportunities, this process is not without challenges", he opined.
Julien Cafiero, Global Business Development Director at Infinigate Group, highlighted various security technologies expected to generate business for the channel in 2024. These comprise AI-enabled solutions, Zero Trust Security, SASE solutions, security orchestration and automation (SOAR), DevSecOps, continuous threat exposure management (CTEM), and security awareness training.